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(NYASATIMES) Bingu tells UN about Malawi’s progress to achieve MDGs

Bingu tells UN about Malawi’s progress to achieve MDGs
By Nyasa Times
Published: September 21, 2010

Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika has said Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) progress report shows the country is “making continuous progress” in achieving all the goals by 2015.

Mutharika was speaking at a three-day summit of Heads of State and government at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York to discuss how to reduce extreme poverty and achieve the MDGs.

The high-level meeting of the General Assembly is being held to take stock of the progress so far towards the MDGs – which include slashing poverty, combating disease, fighting hunger, protecting the environment and boosting education – and to determine what else needs to be done to reach the Goals by their target date of 2015.

President Mutharika in his speech monitored by Nyasa Times on YouTube courtesy of MaximsNews Network — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1jURBRp43Y — said “ultimately, the efforts of the Malawi government, the private sector and development partners, civil society will all need to be harnessed to ensure that the progress that has already been made is maintained.”

And UNDP office in Malawi issued a statement on Tuesday which said the country has made tremedous progress in areas such as food security, reduction in child mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS demonstrating that the MDGs can be achieved the country.

“Based on such success, governemnt simply has to continue to prioritize MDGs and donors are honour bound to meet their promises and deliver on aid”, says UNDP Resident Representative Richard Dictus.

“For those living in poverty, the MDGs have never been abstract or inspirational targets. They are a gateway to a better life- MDGs are about every one having a few square meals a day, women choosing to have children and babies born in safety; they are about boys and girls going to school and getting a quality education.

“MDGs are about women’s political and economic empowerment; about poverty reduction; HIV and human diginity; they are about partnership and protecting the environment. In short, MDGs can be understood by everybody as they have a meaning to all Malawians,” said Dictus .

In the statement released to the media by Zainah Liwanda, UNDP Communications Associate, Dictus further said that a successful summit should generate renewed political commitment and a global plan specifying clear roles for everyone in order to support countries including Malawi to achieve the MDGs by the set deadline of 2015.

He said UNDP is intensfying efforts to help Malawi achieve MDGs by supporting the country to pursue its MDG priorities in line with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

According to Dictus, Malawi’s success story in food security has been told internationally, adding that UNDP is encouraged by the structural reforms that the Governmnet of Malawi has undertaken to ensure that all eight MDGs are achieved.

“Malawi is on track to meet five of the eight MDGs. This is very encouraging. Even in the other three goals, while not meeting the targets, Malawi has shown remarkable progress,” he said.

Evidence shows that there are important synergies among the MDGs, in that acceleration in one goal often speeds up progress in others. Investing in women’s empowerment, education, employment-intensive growth, agricultural innovations, energy and environment sustainablity and health can also have significant multiplier effects across the MDGs.

On International Assessment, a report entitled “What will it take to achieve the MDGs?” launched by UNDP in June this year proposes an eight point-action plan to accelerate and sustain development progress over the next five years.

The eight points focus on supporting nationally-owned and participatory development; pro-poor, job-rich inclusive growth including the private sector; government investments in social services like health and education; expanding opportunities for women and girls; access to low carbon energy; domestic resource mobilization; and delivery on Official Development Assistance commitments.

The report which based evidence from over 50 countries, including Malawi, identifies common and underlying MDG success factors and highlights constraints on progress.

Since the Millennium Declaration was adopted in 2000, the world has spent a decade planning, piloting, evaluating and reporting on MDGs. “Achieving the MDGs is possible. We have the experience, the technology, the money and the plan to address the challenges systematically. What we need is the will to put it into action,” said Dictus.

Labels: BINGU WA MUTHARIKA, MDGs

posted by MrK @ 6:05 PM